• What types of Qurbani meat does Islamic Relief provide?
• How is a Qurbani volume decided? Is it a cow or a sheep?
• Who needs to perform Qurbani?
• If I pay for Qurbani on behalf of someone else, will their name be called out at the time of the slaughter?
• How does Islamic Relief decide who is the most needy when distributing Qurbani meat?
• Can Qurbani meat be sent to my village in a particular country?
• Can I make my Qurbani donation towards the orphan I’m sponsoring?
• What day will the Qurbani be performed?
• When should we give money for Qurbani?
• When can I make my Qurbani payments until?
• Do I have to perform Qurbani on behalf of my children?
• Why is Qurbani canned in some countries?
• Is canned Qurbani meat preserved with any alcoholic substances?
• Do you need to give all the names of the people who are giving Qurbanis?
• How are your prices defined – Some prices appear more expensive than others?
• How can we really be sure that the Qurbanis we pay for in some of the poorest countries are actually taking place?
• Can I visit the place where the Qurbani takes place as I will be in the country at that time?
• How are Qurbanis performed at Islamic Relief?
• For one who intends to offer a sacrifice, when should he stop clipping his nails?
• Why can’t we have an animal of our choice sacrificed?
• Are all the costs included in the price?
• Why do IR take admin charge?
What types of Qurbani meat does Islamic Relief provide?
Islamic Relief distributes three different types of qurbani meat: fresh, canned and frozen:
- Fresh Qurbani – Islamic Relief distributes fresh qurbani meat in most countries, as animals are purchased and slaughtered locally.
- Canned Qurbani – Islamic Relief distributes canned qurbani meat in areas where there has been conflict or natural disasters as it is easier and safer to distribute. The animals are sacrificed in Australia and the meat is cooked and canned in New Zealand. Each can contains over 450g of meat.
- Frozen Qurbani – In areas where fresh or canned qurbani is not possible, ISLAMIC RELIEF distributes frozen qurbani meat.
How is a Qurbani volume decided? Is it a cow or a sheep?
1 Sheep or Goat = 1 Qurbani
1 Cow = 7 Qurbani’s (One Qurbani – 1/7th of the share)
According to most Muslims qurbani is obligatory upon every sane male/female that has wealth in excess to his/her needs. Normally those who are eligible to pay zakat have to give a qurbani.
If I pay for Qurbani on behalf of someone else, will their name be called out at the time of the slaughter?
No, as Islamic Relief is conducting Qurbanis across 30 countries this is practically not possible. It is also not necessary to give the name of the person, even if you are making a Qurbani on behalf of someone else. As long as you have made the intention that you are giving this qurbani on behalf of a certain person that should be sufficient.
How does Islamic Relief decide who is the most needy when distributing Qurbani meat?
It is the policy of Islamic Relief that the selected beneficiaries of the Qurbani project are made eligible based on a scoring system, which ranks families according to need.
The scoring system is based on the following objective criteria:
Families who live on less than the minimum income for that particular country – 40 points
Female headed households – 20 points
Families having disabled and/or elderly persons – 10 points
Children under five years old – 5 points
Pregnant women – 5 points
Lactating mothers – 5 points
Families with little or no access to the market – 5 points
It is the policy of Islamic Relief to distribute only ONE Qurbani meat packet to each family regardless of family size.
Can Qurbani meat be sent to my village in a particular country?
Islamic Relief performs qurbani as part of our overall aid effort. The people who benefit in Ramadan and from our general projects, insha’Allah, would also benefit from Qurbani. This allows us to focus our efforts and help the same people out of poverty and to improve their lives, rather than providing a little bit of help occasionally but never achieving anything.
Can I make my Qurbani donation towards the orphan I’m sponsoring?
We are not able to carry out qurbanis for specific orphans because the scale of the operation would make this logistically difficult. Donors can still carry out a general qurbani through the normal channels and pay the normal price. However, Orphans do represent a category of high priority in all our programmes; therefore they not only benefit from donors’ sponsorship, but also benefit from receiving other support and aid in Ramadan and Qurbani.
What day will the Qurbani be performed?
The slaughter will take place on one of the days of Eid.
If you give a Qurbani on the second or third day of Eid, the Qurbani will still be carried out on one of the days of Eid, as Islamic Relief has already purchased the animals to be slaughtered beforehand.
Qurbanis are carried out on the basis of forecasts drawn. If necessary, modifications are made, and additional funds are transferred to the relevant country. In effect donors are paying towards Qurbanis which are already allocated.
When should we give money for Qurbani?
It is advisable to give as early as possible.
The time for offering the sacrifice begins after the Eid prayer on Eid al-Adha and ends when the sun sets on the thirteenth of Dhu’l-Hijjah. So there are four days of sacrifice: the day of Eid al-Adha and the three days after it.
It is better to hasten to offer the sacrifice after the Eid prayer, as the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to do, then the first thing he would eat on the day of Eid would be meat from his sacrifice.
When can I make my Qurbani payments until?
The time for sacrifice ends when the sun sets on the fourth day.
You can make payments right up until the end of third day after Eid [13th of Dhu’l-Hijjah] before Maghrib.
Islamic Relief has already purchased the animals to be slaughtered.
Do I have to perform Qurbani on behalf of my children?
This depends on the school of thought that one follows. Please consult your local Imam/Sheikh.
According to the Hanafi school of thought it is obligatory on:
- every sane, mature (one who has reached puberty) Muslim
- who is not a traveller,
- who owns wealth which is beyond one’s need equal to (or more than) nisab = 72 grams of gold or 100 grams of silver),
Why is Qurbani canned in some countries?
Because it is easier and safer to distribute canned meat in certain countries e.g. in Palestine there are restrictions on bringing animals from neighboring areas.
Is canned Qurbani meat preserved with any alcoholic substances?
No. There are no alcohol based preservatives. The ingredients of the canned meat are: cooked mutton in natural juices, salt and sodium nitrate.
Furthermore the abattoir we use in Australia operates a fully Halal slaughter process throughout the year – there is no pork slaughtered. Both the abattoir and the cannery are monitored by Halal licensing authorities that are managed by the Muslim communities of Australia and New Zealand.
Do you need to give all the names of the people who are giving Qurbanis?
No, this is not necessary as long as you have made the intention that you are giving this qurbani on behalf of a certain person.
How are your prices defined – Some prices appear more expensive than others?
Since Qurbani is an act of worship, then one has to offer the best. Therefore Islamic Relief adopts high quality standards when it comes to selecting the sacrificial animals. Standards cover health, weight (meat yielded) and age. Also we would like our needy brothers and sisters around the world to receive the best quality Qurbanis because the believer is asked to love for his brother/sister that which he/she loves for him/herself. These high standards come at a higher cost.
Islamic Relief always tries to reach the neediest of people in the most remote areas where the communities are hard-to-reach. In many of these remote areas ISLAMIC RELIEF is the only charity with operations and hence represents the only hope (after Allah) for the communities there. Transporting meat to hard to reach rural areas incurs higher transportation costs which affects the Qurbani price.
Current situations in certain countries with conflict or natural disasters also add to the cost
How can we really be sure that the Qurbanis we pay for in some of the poorest countries are actually taking place?
Islamic Relief has been performing Qurbani’s since 1986. As with our other projects, Islamic Relief’s work is constantly monitored and audited. Reports are also produced each year showing what happened in each country.
Can I visit the place where the Qurbani takes place as I will be in the country at that time?
It would be better if people did not visit, as on the day our teams on the ground are extremely busy with slaughtering the animals, dividing them, packing the meat, transporting it to villages and distributing them. Therefore, our teams will not have the capacity or time to host individuals. However, if individuals are present at the locations where the Qurbani is being distributed then they are welcome to observe
How are Qurbanis performed at Islamic Relief?
Qurbani’s are performed through Islamic Relief field offices in Asia, Africa and Europe.
Islamic Relief field offices purchase and slaughter animals locally. If there are problems with livestock supply in a particular country (due to limited local supply, natural disaster etc.) then animals are sourced and slaughtered abroad. They are then either canned or frozen and shipped to the affected countries.
All animals are sacrificed according to Islamic guidelines.
For one who intends to offer a sacrifice, when should he stop clipping his nails?
It is prescribed for the one who wants to offer a sacrifice, once the new moon of Dhu’l-Hijjah appears [i.e.1st of Dhul-Hijjah], not to remove anything from his hair, nails or skin, until he has offered the sacrifice.
Why can’t we have an animal of our choice sacrificed?
Animals chosen in a country are dependent upon:
The suitability of the meat to the local diet
The cost of the animal
The location and the availability of animals
The quality of the meat
Are all the costs included in the price?
Yes, all the various expenses such as the cost of the animal, slaughter, transportation, storage and canning (where applicable), selection of the beneficiaries, and distribution are included in the price.
Why do Islamic Relief take admin charge?
Admin charges are necessary in order to perform the Qurbanis as it covers the cost of transportation, slaughtering, packing, distribution, hire of staff as well as organisational support costs.